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| If you can ever witness a total solar eclipse, do it I just go back from Oregon and my eclipse workshop and it was one of the coolest experiences of my life.
I have to say I was bit underwhelmed by the eclipse during the early phases. I’ve seen several lunar eclipses and it reminded me of that. Then just before totality the sky turned a strange color, a cool blue rather than the warm yellow light of a sunset, the air temperature dropped and everything got quiet. Big smiles broke out, we knew we were experiencing something unique. I had set up three cameras on tripods and had two of them shooting on timers. I used a 400mm with a 1.4 teleconverter to give a 560mm lens for the closeup shots, which left plenty of room in my frame for the sun’s glowing corona.
Several photographers who have photographed total eclipses before said to be sure to take it in and not worry the whole time about making images. It was great advice, I made plenty of shots but just watching was even more dazzling. At our location totality lasted one minute and forty seconds, it seemed like 15 seconds.
I had spent over a year planning the photography workshop and in the final few weeks adding more gray hairs fretting about traffic, wildfires and weather. With the help of my sister Lynda and her husband Bill, who live in Oregon, and a scouting trip earlier this year, the remote location I found out in the desert turned out to be perfect. We left our hotel at 2 a.m. to make sure we didn’t get stuck in traffic, the smoke stayed south of us and the weather was perfect.
I’m now addicted, I’m going to chase every eclipse I can, the next one is in Chile and I’m already planning that trip. And I’ll find a special cloud-free location for 2024 U.S. eclipse. I have a couple of posts about the experience on my blog. |
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Only three spots left for Iceland workshop
My mom always said not to wish my life away, and she was right, but I can't wait until March and my workshop in Iceland. March is the perfect time for photos in Iceland, the weather is about the same as New York City, the short days are gone, the Northern Lights can still be seen, the waterfalls are flowing with spring melt and you can walk into ice caves. Since everything in Iceland is expensive, ground transportation, lodging and meals are included. There are only three spots left, I hope you can join me. Read more... |
| | | The plane window thrills me every time |
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There are photographers who think it isn't cool to take pictures out the plane window, but I don't care. While flying to Oregon I had my greasy nose pressed against the window and was shooting photos with my iPhone. As the plane descended into Portland, we were below the peak of Mt. Hood as we flew past. Mt. Jefferson was in the background and the smoke from wildfires made the scene look even more fantastic. |
| | | Summer is ending but art festivals are still going strong Some of my favorite art festivals are coming up as I make the Vermont swing of my schedule. This weekend I'll be in Waitsfield, VT, then I'm back to Monclair, NJ the following weekend. After that three more Vermont shows, Woodstock, Manchester and Stowe, then I end the season back in Montclair, NJ. Check out the full schedule, please stop in and say hello. |
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Upcoming workshops
• Nov. 19: Macro Photography Workshop Somerville, NJ
• Feb. 2-4., 2018: Vermont Winter Wonderland Workshop, Woodstock, VT
• March 9-16, 2018: Iceland Photography Workshop, Reykjavik, Iceland
• June 2-6, 2018: Acadia National Park Photography Workshop, Bar Harbor, ME
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| Upcoming Art Shows
• Sept. 2-3: Mad River Crafts Festival, Waitsfield, VT
• Sept. 9-10: Woodstock Art Festival, Woodstock, VT
• Sept. 16-17: Anderson Park Arts & Crafts, Upper Montclair, NJ
• Oct. 3-4: Manchester Arts & Crafts Festival, Manchester, VT
• Oct. 10-11: Stowe Arts & Crafts Festival, Stowe, VT
• Oct 17-18 Brookdale Fall Crafts Festival, Montclair, NJ
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| Personal mentoring
If you want to improve your photography, learn more about your camera, get a better handle on Lightroom or Photoshop, or need help with your photo business, then I can help you with one-on-one mentoring that is customized to fit your needs. Read more.. |
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Photographing the Milky Way
I love getting out away from city lights, looking up at the sky, seeing all the stars and imaging what is out there. While in Oregon, we were staying at a cool ski lodge on Mt. Hood and the night sky was amazing. The Milky Way was shining bright so we got out in the chill and made photos. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Galactic Center of the Milky Way, that brightest part you see in the lower right corner below, isn't visible during the winter. I wish it was because the skies tend to be clearer then. So if you want the best Milky Way shots, you better get out there in the next few weeks. Making photos of the Milky Way isn't that difficult, you just need to know where it is. I use an app called Photo Pills so during the day I can plan where to be and I don't have to wander around too much at night. For this shot I scouted locations near the lodge in the afternoon and then took the group there after the Galactic Center rose high enough to make great photos. It is best to use the widest angle lens you have, the wider the lens, the less movement you'll have in the starts. The starting place for the exposure is ISO 3200, f/2.8 and leave the shutter open for 30 seconds. It is always more interesting to get something in the foreground.
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